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POLITICO 44

President Barack Obama is a master of knowing his audience – even when it’s fellow politicians.

He served up a Republican roast to House Democratic leaders and donors in New York Thursday night, two weeks after Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her lieutenants griped that his anti-Washington fire can boomerang because it’s not targeted enough at the GOP. But his remarks to workers in Buffalo earlier in the day sounded a lot more like what House leaders had complained about.

Overall, the themes of Obama’s speeches were roughly the same: The economy was bad, and it’s getting better under his watch.

But in Buffalo, he took credit for the progress; in New York, he lauded the House Democrats for whom he was raising money.

And the tone and tenor were different.

It’s natural for the president’s remarks at a fundraiser to have “a slightly sharper edge” than those he delivers at non-political events, a White House official said.

But Democrats on Capitol Hill want him to wield that sharper edge at official events, too.

“I think the picture the president painted at the fundraiser of the direction Republicans want to take this country” and what Democrats have accomplished “is the kind of language we’d like to see more of,” said a House Democratic leadership aide. “But there’s still room for improvement.”

Pelosi and other House leaders told senior White House aides at a recent closed-door meeting that they felt the president was spending too much time bashing Washington without pointing the finger of blame at Republicans – a rhetorical nuance they argued could backfire by provoking voter anger at the party in charge in Congress.

On Thursday night, there was no confusing Obama’s belief that Republicans aren’t doing their part to solve the nation’s problems.

Here’s the president at the fundraiser with Pelosi,Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and other senior Democrats: “You would have thought at a time of historic crisis that Republican leaders would have been more willing to help us find a way out of this mess — particularly since they created the mess … [W]e got our mops and brooms out, we’re cleaning stuff out, and they’re just sitting there saying, ‘Hold the broom better, that’s not how you mop.’ Don’t tell me how to mop. Pick up a mop!”

Jab!

He even borrowed Van Hollen’s favorite metaphor.

“So after they drove the car into the ditch, made it as difficult as possible for us to pull it back, now they want the keys back. No! You can’t drive!,” the president riffed. “We don’t want to have to back into the ditch. We just got the car out.”

Readers' Comments (889)

haha. guess what leftists, america has woken up to your democrat nightmare. i hope you do point out the direction the repubs (conservatives) want to take this country cause its a one-eighty from democrat communism.

Of course they want this.. To mask their complicity in the destruction of our nation. In short, 90% of democrats, and 30% of republicans are enemies of the people, and we stand a 75% chance of losing the liberty paid for by the blood of countless patriots who have gone before, and are still sacrificing for an ideal of liberty.

Of course they want this.. To mask their complicity in the destruction of our nation. In short, 90% of democrats, and 30% of republicans are enemies of the people, and we stand a 75% chance of losing the liberty paid for by the blood of countless patriots who have gone before, and are still sacrificing for an ideal of liberty.

Of course they want this.. To mask their complicity in the destruction of our nation. In short, 90% of democrats, and 30% of republicans are enemies of the people, and we stand a 75% chance of losing the liberty paid for by the blood of countless patriots who have gone before, and are still sacrificing for an ideal of liberty.

The liberal media calls it being "a master of knowing your audience". Someone less partisan might call it what it really is - pandering to the audience. If a politician changes his message depending on who the audience is, then you have to wonder whether you can believe anything he says.

If you match up his campaign rhetoric while running for office to what he has done since getting into office, it becomes increasingly obvious that you can't believe one word that comes out of this poseur's mouth.

Post-partisan? Give me a break. This is the most partisan president in history.

We can't afford George Bush's deficits? Right! He quadrupled them with no end in sight.

Laser-like focus on jobs? I guess that's why unemployment is at 10% and likely to remain there until he's out of office. The few jobs that are being created are all in the public sector. If you think that everyone working for the government creates wealth, then you've never heard of the Soviet Union.

This guy has got to go while we still have a little bit of the country left to save.

OH come on you know everyone in WORLD needs a King , and Elvis is gone but boy king knows all , just sit at his feet , he is all knowing ...............couldnt find a church in DC even that was worthy of his Self Inflated Ego .................... this guy has accomplished nothing in life but have a well educated woman support him and now "he continues to serve his own Kool Aid that Americans know now is destroying the USA. 2010 vote out every incumbent and 2012 Repeat every incumbent !

The problem is reid, schumer, murray, waxmen, boxer, pelosi, dodd, frank and obama drove the dog gone bus in the ditch the last 4 years they have been in charge of the Senate and House and the mud is sticking all over their face. It is not CO2 your smelling in CH4 from where you'all had your heads the last 4 years.

I just love the tea party movement. It reminds me a lot of the war on terror.

Radical muslims had declared war on America decades before we responded. All thorugh the 90's there was one terrorist attack after another and we did not respond. It took a cataclysmic event like the twin towers being destroyed before we realized what was happening.

The Democratic party had morphed into a socialist party that had declared war on America decades before we responded. All through the 80s, the 90s and the George Bush's term they have continually attacked our religion, our constitution, our individual rights, our economy, our society and everythign that made America what it is. It took a cataclysmic event like Obama nearly destroying our economy before we realized what was happening.

But the tea party is here now. It is not going away. It is gathering steam. Some have said that what Obama has done is to awaken a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve. Let's hope it's true. We need to take our country back from the socialist cabal that has hijacked it. The enemies of Democracy are in place not only in the Federal government, but in the state and local governments as well. Let's root them out.

“So after they drove the car into the ditch, made it as difficult as possible for us to pull it back, now they want the keys back. No! You can’t drive!,” the president riffed. “We don’t want to have to back into the ditch. We just got the car out.”

Yes, the republicans did drive the car into the proverbial ditch, didn't they Mr. Obama? But then the democrats hit high gear and spun the wheels, digging the car further into said ditch. You didn't get the car out, you just dug it in deeper.

Now the car is covered in mud and filth. The tread on the car's wheels are wearing thin. The car has dents in it from the flying rocks.

You have just stated that this nation should stop pointing fingers, Mr. Obama - yet here you are, pointing fingers. Where is that three dollar bill?

Nancy Pelosi has just stated that representatives should fly coach after repeatedly abusing military aircraft on the taxpayer's dollar - who is believable?

The health care reform debacle brings forth images of democrat haughtiness and lies in conjunction with arm-twisting and back room deals. I find myself unable to remove the image of Nancy Pelosi throwing her head back and laughing at the entire nation in association with health care reform, Mr. Obama.

The republicans have done nothing but repeatedly spit out a monosyllabic, "NO," so someone please tell me who in this nation the citizens are supposed to trust in regards to current political representation.

Everytime the Repubilicans want to offer amendments to bills, they aren't even listened to. If Obama and Pelosi's idea of biparisanshipi s going along with them, then that is not compromise. I remember very well the Demorcrats fillibustering and trying to block Republican initiatives at the time the Republicans controlled both houses. Right now, the Democrats can pass anythng they want in the house. The dirty secret is a number of them won't march in lockstep with Pelosi.

For those with short memory's Bush let Kennedy write the education bill. Look what trying to set a new tone got him.